Method of manufacturing organic light emitting device and organic light emitting device

ABSTRACT

A first light emitting unit includes a hole injection layer, a first hole transport layer, and a first light emitting layer. A second light emitting unit includes a hole injection layer, a second hole transport layer, a third hole transport layer, a third hole transport layer, and a second light emitting layer. The second hole transport layer is formed on the hole injection layer and includes a first hole transporting material. The third hole transport layer is formed on the second hole transport layer and includes a second hole transporting material. A fourth hole transport layer is formed on the third hole transport layer and includes the same material as the second hole transport layer, that is, the second hole transporting material. The third hole transport layer is formed by using a coating method, and the fourth hole transport layer is formed by a vapor deposition method.

The present invention is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No. 16/081,861 filed on Aug. 31, 2108 which is a National Phase entry of International Application No. PCT/JP2016/056183, filed on Mar. 1, 2016. The contents of the above applications are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a light emitting device and a light emitting device.

BACKGROUND ART

An organic EL element is provided as one of light sources of light emitting devices such as lighting devices or display devices. The organic EL element has a configuration in which an organic layer is disposed between a first electrode and a second electrode. The organic layer has a multilayer structure in which a hole injection layer, a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transport layer, and an electron injection layer are stacked.

Conventionally, a vacuum film formation method (for example, vapor deposition method) has been used as a method of manufacturing each layer constituting the organic layer. On the contrary, recently, a case where the organic layer is formed by a coating method is being examined. However, in the current circumstances, it is difficult to form all layers of the organic layer by a coating method. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses forming a hole injection layer and a portion of a hole transport layer by a coating method and forming the remaining portion of the hole transport layer and a light emitting layer by a vapor deposition method.

Patent Document 2 also discloses forming a portion of a hole transport layer by a coating method and forming the remaining portion of the hole transport layer and a light emitting layer by a vapor deposition method. Patent Document 2 discloses also forming an electron transport layer positioned on the light emitting layer by a vapor deposition method.

RELATED DOCUMENT Patent Document

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Laid-open Patent Application Publication NO. 2012-142365

[Patent Document 2] Japanese Laid-open Patent Application Publication NO. 2014-127303

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Technical Problem

A display device or a lighting device in which a light emission color is adjustable includes plural kinds of light emitting units having different light emission colors. Basically, the light emission color of the light emitting unit is determined by a material used in the light emitting layer. Therefore, in a case where plural kinds of light emitting units having different light emission colors are mixed and mounted on one substrate, both a light emitting unit in which a light emitting layer is formed by a coating method and a light emitting unit in which a light emitting layer is formed by a vapor deposition method may be provided on the one substrate. In such a case, the layer formed by the coating method in the former light emitting unit is thicker than the layer formed in the latter light emitting unit. Therefore, the dry state of the coating material configuring the organic layer is different between the former light emitting unit and the latter light emitting unit. In this case, making the dry state of all the plural kinds of light emitting units the same is difficult. As a result, the quality of some light emitting unit is deteriorated.

An exemplary object of the present invention is to prevent the quality of some light emitting units from being deteriorated in a case where plural kinds of light emitting units having different light emission colors are mixed and mounted on one substrate.

Solution to Problem

According to the invention described in claim 1, there is provided a method of manufacturing a light emitting device, which includes a first step of coating a first region of a substrate in which a first light emitting unit is formed with a light emitting material, a second step of coating a second region of a substrate in which a second light emitting unit is formed with a coating material, before or after the first step, a third step of drying the light emitting material in the first region and the coating material in the second region after the first step and the second step, and a fourth step of depositing a light emitting material in the second region after the third step.

According to the invention described in claim 11, there is provided a light emitting device which includes a first light emitting unit formed in a first region of a substrate, and a second light emitting unit formed in a second region of the substrate. The first light emitting unit includes a first hole injection layer, a first hole transport layer positioned on the first hole injection layer, and a first light emitting layer positioned on the first hole transport layer. The second light emitting unit includes a second hole injection layer, a second hole transport layer which is positioned on the second hole injection layer and includes a first hole transporting material, a third hole transport layer which is positioned on the second hole transport layer and includes a second hole transporting material, a fourth hole transport layer which is positioned on the third hole transport layer and includes the second hole transporting material, and a second light emitting layer positioned on the fourth hole transport layer.

According to the invention described in claim 16, there is provided a light emitting device which includes an insulating layer which is formed on the substrate and includes a plurality of openings, a partition wall positioned on a portion of the insulating layer, which is positioned between adjacent openings, a first light emitting unit positioned in a first opening among the openings, and a second light emitting unit positioned in a second opening among the openings. The first light emitting unit includes a first hole injection layer, a first hole transport layer positioned on the first hole injection layer, and a first light emitting layer positioned on the first hole transport layer. The second light emitting unit includes a second hole injection layer, a second hole transport layer which is positioned on the second hole injection layer and is thicker than the first hole transport layer, and a second light emitting layer positioned on the second hole transport layer. The second hole injection layer and a portion of the second hole transport layer are not positioned on the partition wall and the remaining portion of the second hole transport layer and the second light emitting layer are positioned on the partition wall, the partition wall positioned to be adjacent to the second light emitting unit in a thickness direction.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The above-described object, other objects, features, and advantages will become more apparent from the following description of the preferred embodiment and the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view illustrating a configuration of a light emitting device according to an embodiment.

FIGS. 2(a) and 2(b) are sectional views illustrating a method of manufacturing the light emitting device.

FIGS. 3(a) and 3(b) is a sectional view illustrating the method of manufacturing the light emitting device.

FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating a light emitting device according to Example 1.

FIG. 5 is a view in which a second electrode is removed from FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a view in which an organic layer and an insulating layer are removed from FIG. 5.

FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 4.

FIG. 8 is a plan view illustrating a light emitting device according to Example 2.

FIG. 9 is a view in which a partition wall, a second electrode, an organic layer, and an insulating layer are removed from FIG. 8.

FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 8.

FIG. 11(a) is an enlarged view illustrating a region surrounded by a dotted line α in FIG. 10, and FIG. 11(b) is an enlarged view illustrating a region surrounded by a dotted line β.

FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line C-C in FIG. 8.

FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line D-D in FIG. 8.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings, the same components are denoted by the same reference signs and descriptions thereof will not be repeated. In the embodiment, for example, expressions of a hole transport layer and a hole injection layer are used to mean a layer including a hole transporting material and a layer including a hole injection material, respectively.

FIG. 1 is a sectional view illustrating a configuration of alight emitting device 10 according to the embodiment. The light emitting device 10 according to the embodiment includes a substrate 100, a first light emitting unit 140 a, and a second light emitting unit 140 b. The first light emitting unit 140 a is formed in a first region 100 a of the substrate 100 and includes a hole injection layer (first hole injection layer) 121, a first hole transport layer 122 a, and a first light emitting layer 123 a. The second light emitting unit 140 b is formed in a second region 100 b of the substrate 100 and includes a hole injection layer (second hole injection layer) 121, a second hole transport layer 122 b, a third hole transport layer 122 c, a fourth hole transport layer 122 d, and a second light emitting layer 123 b. The second hole transport layer 122 b is formed on the hole injection layer 121 and includes a first hole transporting material. The third hole transport layer 122 c is formed on the second hole transport layer 122 b and includes a second hole transporting material. The fourth hole transport layer 122 d is formed on the third hole transport layer 122 c and includes the same material as the third hole transport layer 122 c, that is, the second hole transporting material. The third hole transport layer 122 c is formed by using a coating method. The fourth hole transport layer 122 d is formed by using a vapor deposition method. Therefore, an interface is provided between the third hole transport layer 122 c and the fourth hole transport layer 122 d. The refractive index of the third hole transport layer 122 c is different from the refractive index of the fourth hole transport layer 122 d. The first hole transport layer 122 a includes the same material as the second hole transport layer 122 b, that is, the first hole transporting material. Details thereof will be described below.

Both the first light emitting unit 140 a and the second light emitting unit 140 b are formed on one surface of the substrate 100. The first light emitting unit 140 a and the second light emitting unit 140 b are defined by an insulating layer 150. The insulating layer 150 is formed using a photosensitive material such as polyimide. The insulating layer is formed to have a predetermined shape through exposure and developing steps. Specifically, the insulating layer 150 has a first opening 152 a positioned over the first region 100 a and a second opening 152 b positioned over the second region 100 b. The insulating layer 150 is formed after a first electrode 110 has been formed and before the hole injection layer 121 is formed. However, the insulating layer 150 need not be formed.

The first light emitting unit 140 a includes the first electrode 110, a first organic layer 120 a, and a second electrode 130. The second light emitting unit 140 b includes the first electrode 110, a second organic layer 120 b, and the second electrode 130. Both the first organic layer 120 a and the second organic layer 120 b are positioned between the first electrode 110 and the second electrode 130. The first organic layer 120 a is positioned on the inner side of the first opening 152 a. The second organic layer 120 b is positioned on the inner side of the second opening 152 b. Therefore, the first light emitting unit 140 a is positioned on the inner side of the first opening 152 a, and the second light emitting unit 140 b is positioned on the inner side of the second opening 152 b. The first light emitting unit 140 a and the second light emitting unit 140 b may be bottom emission type light emitting units or top emission type light emitting units.

In a case where the first light emitting unit 140 a and the second light emitting unit 140 b are the bottom emission type, the substrate 100 is formed of a light transmitting material such as glass or a light transmitting resin. A surface of the substrate 100 on an opposite side of the first electrode 110 serves as a light emission surface of the light emitting device 10. On the other hand, in a case where the first light emitting unit 140 a and the second light emitting unit 140 b are the top emission type, the substrate 100 may be formed of the above-described light transmitting material or may be formed of a material which does not have light emitting properties. The substrate 100 is, for example, a polygon such as a rectangle. The substrate 100 may have flexibility. In a case where the substrate 100 has flexibility, the thickness of the substrate 100 is, for example, equal to or greater than 10 μm and equal to or smaller than 1000 μm. In particular, in a case where the substrate 100 has flexibility by using a glass material, the thickness of the substrate 100 is equal to or smaller than 200 μm, for example. In a case where the substrate 100 has flexibility by using a resin material, the substrate is formed by a material including polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyethersulfone (PES), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), or polyimide, as an example of the material of the substrate 100. In a case where the substrate 100 includes a resin material, an inorganic barrier film of SiNx, SiON, or the like is formed on at least a light emitting surface (preferably, both surfaces) of the substrate 100 in order to suppress permeation of moisture through the substrate 100.

At least one of the first electrode 110 and the second electrode 130 is a transparent electrode having optical transparency. For example, in a case where the first light emitting unit 140 a and the second light emitting unit 140 b are the bottom emission type, at least the first electrode 110 is a transparent electrode. In a case where the first light emitting unit 140 a and the second light emitting unit 140 b are the top emission type, at least the second electrode 130 is a transparent electrode. Meanwhile, both the first electrode 110 and the second electrode 130 may be transparent electrodes. In this case, the light emitting device 10 is a dual emission type light emitting device.

A transparent conductive material constituting the transparent electrode is a material including metal, for example, a metal compound such as indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), indium tungsten zinc oxide (IWZO), and zinc oxide (ZnO). The thickness of the first electrode 110 is, for example, equal to or greater than 10 nm and equal to or smaller than 500 nm. The first electrode 110 is formed by, for example, using a sputtering method or a vapor deposition method. The first electrode 110 may be made of a carbon nanotube or a conductive organic material such as PEDOT or PSS, or may be a thin metal electrode.

The electrode which does not have light transmitting properties among the first electrode 110 and the second electrode 130 includes, for example, a metal layer formed of metal selected from the first group consisting of Al, Au, Ag, Pt, Mg, Sn, Zn, and In, or an alloy of the metal selected from the first group. This electrode is formed by, for example, using a sputtering method or a vapor deposition method.

In a case where the first light emitting unit 140 a and the second light emitting unit 140 b are top emission type light emitting devices, the first electrode 110 may have a structure in which a metal layer and a transparent conductive layer are stacked in this order.

The second organic layer 120 b of the second light emitting unit 140 b includes the hole injection layer 121, the second hole transport layer 122 b, the third hole transport layer 122 c, the fourth hole transport layer 122 d, the second light emitting layer 123 b, a hole blocking layer 124, an electron transport layer 125, and an electron injection layer 126. One of the electron transport layer 125 and the electron injection layer 126 need not be formed.

The hole injection layer 121 is formed using a material through which holes move (organic material having hole mobility). The thickness of the hole injection layer 121 is, for example, equal to or greater than 50 nm and equal to or smaller than 100 nm. The hole injection layer 121 of the first organic layer 120 a and the hole injection layer 121 of the second organic layer 120 b are formed by the same step. As a method of forming the hole injection layer 121, a coating method, particularly, an ink jet method is provided. The material (hole injection material) forming the hole injection layer 121 is a conductive polymer material. For example, polythiophene-based materials such as poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene)-poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT-PSS) are exemplified. In addition, polymeric hole injection materials including arylamine derivatives, porphyrin derivatives, polystyrene derivatives, polypyrrole derivatives, polyaniline derivatives, polythiophene derivatives, and polyacetylene derivatives are exemplified. However, the hole injection material is not limited to the above-described materials.

Each of the first hole transport layer 122 a, the second hole transport layer 122 b, the third hole transport layer 122 c, and the fourth hole transport layer 122 d is formed using organic materials having hole mobility. In detail, the thickness of the first hole transport layer 122 a is, for example, equal to or greater than 30 nm and equal to or smaller than 100 nm. The thickness of the second hole transport layer 122 b is, for example, equal to or greater than 30 nm and equal to or smaller than 100 nm. As will be described later, the first hole transport layer 122 a is formed by the same step as that for the second hole transport layer 122 b. Thus, the thickness of the first hole transport layer 122 a is substantially equal to the thickness of the second hole transport layer 122 b. The thickness of the third hole transport layer 122 c is, for example, equal to or greater than 10 nm and equal to or smaller than 40 nm. The thickness of the fourth hole transport layer 122 d is, for example, equal to or greater than 10 nm and equal to or smaller than 40 nm. The first hole transport layer 122 a and the second hole transport layer 122 b are formed using a first hole transporting material. The third hole transport layer 122 c and the fourth hole transport layer 122 d are formed using a second hole transporting material. The first hole transporting material has a molecular weight higher than the second hole transporting material. The first hole transporting material is a polymeric hole transporting material. For example, triphenylamine-based materials such as poly[(9,9-dioctylfluorenyl-2,7-diyl)-co-(4,4′-(N-(4-sec-butylphenyl))diphenylamine)] (TFB) are exemplified. In addition, polymeric hole transporting materials including anthracene derivatives, carbazole derivatives, polythiophene derivatives, polyfluorene derivatives, polyparaphenylene vinylene derivatives, and polyparaphenylene derivatives are exemplified. However, the first hole transporting material is not limited to the above materials. The second hole transporting material is a low molecular hole transporting material. For example, α-NPD (bis(N-(1-naphthyl-N-phenyl)benzidine)), m-MTDATA (4,4′,4″-tris[phenyl(m-tolyl)amino]triphenylamine), TCTA (4,4′,4″-tri(N-carbazole)triphenylamine), and 2-TNATA (4,4′,4″-tris[2-naphthyl (phenyl)amino]triphenylamine) are exemplified. In addition, low molecular hole transporting materials including the following are exemplified: triphenylamine derivatives, oxadiazole derivatives, styrylamine derivatives, triazole derivatives, oxadiazole derivatives, imidazole derivatives, polyarylalkane derivatives, phenylenediamine derivatives, arylamine derivatives, oxazole derivatives, styrylanthracene derivatives, fluorenone derivatives, hydrazone derivatives, stilbene derivatives, triphenylene derivatives, and azatriphenylene derivatives. However, the second hole transporting material is not limited to the above materials. As in a case of the third hole transport layer 122 c, when a film is formed with the second hole transporting material by a coating method, the material is dissolved in an organic solvent and then the film is formed with the resultant. Here, examples of the organic solvent include toluene, xylene, anisole, cyclohexanone, dodecylbenzene, cyclohexanol, tetralin, mesitylene, pseudocumene, dihydrobenzofuran, cyclohexylbenzene, 1-methylnaphthalene, p-anisyl alcohol, dimethylnaphthalene, 3-methylbiphenyl, 4-methylbiphenyl, 3-isopropylbiphenyl, monoisopropylnaphthalene, tetrahydrofuran, dichloroethane, chloroform, ethyl benzoate, and butyl benzoate. However, the organic solvent is not limited to the above materials. The above materials may be singly used or may be used in a mixture of two kinds or more thereof.

The first hole transport layer 122 a and the second hole transport layer 122 b are formed by performing coating with the first hole transporting material. The third hole transport layer 122 c is formed by performing coating with the second hole transporting material. In detail, coating with the second hole transporting material for the third hole transport layer 122 c is performed after performing coating with the first hole transporting material for the first hole transport layer 122 a and the second hole transport layer 122 b and drying. Therefore, an interface is provided between the second hole transport layer 122 b and the third hole transport layer 122 c. The first hole transport layer 122 a, the second hole transport layer 122 b, and the third hole transport layer 122 c are formed by, for example, using a spin-coating method or may be formed by using another coating method (for example, ink jet method).

The fourth hole transport layer 122 d is formed by using a vapor deposition method. As described above, the third hole transport layer 122 c and the fourth hole transport layer 122 d are formed by using film formation methods which are different from each other. Therefore, regardless of each of the third hole transport layer 122 c and the fourth hole transport layer 122 d being formed using the second hole transporting material, the interface is provided between the third hole transport layer 122 c and the fourth hole transport layer 122 d. Moreover, the refractive index of the third hole transport layer 122 c is different from the refractive index of the fourth hole transport layer 122 d. For example, the refractive index of the third hole transport layer 122 c is lower than the refractive index of the fourth hole transport layer 122 d.

Each of the first light emitting layer 123 a and the second light emitting layer 123 b is formed using materials which emit light by re-combination of electrons and holes. The light emission color of the first light emitting layer 123 a is different from the light emission color of the second light emitting layer 123 b. For example, the peak wavelength of an emission spectrum of the first light emitting layer 123 a (that is, first light emitting unit 140 a) is longer than the peak wavelength of an emission spectrum of the second light emitting layer 123 b (that is, second light emitting unit 140 b). The light emission color of the first light emitting layer 123 a is, for example, green (having a peak wavelength which is equal to or greater than 500 nm and equal to or smaller than 550 nm) or red (having a peak wavelength which is equal to or greater than 600 nm and equal to or smaller than 680 nm). The light emission color of the second light emitting layer 123 b is, for example, blue (having a peak wavelength which is equal to or greater than 430 nm and equal to or smaller than 480 nm).

The hole blocking layer 124 of the first organic layer 120 a is in contact with a surface of the first light emitting layer 123 a on an opposite side of the first hole transport layer 122 a, and thus suppresses an occurrence of a situation in which holes penetrate the first light emitting layer 123 a and then reach the electron transport layer 125 or the electron injection layer 126 of the first organic layer 120 a. The same applies to the hole blocking layer 124 of the second organic layer 120 b. The hole blocking layer 124 is formed using, for example, a material through which electrons move (organic material having electron mobility). The thickness of the hole blocking layer 124 is equal to or greater than 5 nm and equal to or smaller than 50 nm, for example. The first organic layer 120 a and the second organic layer 120 b need not include the hole blocking layer 124.

Each of the electron transport layer 125 of the first organic layer 120 a and the electron transport layer 125 of the second organic layer 120 b is formed using materials through which electrons can move (organic material having electron mobility). As such a material, for example, nitrogen-containing aromatic heterocyclic derivatives, aromatic hydrocarbon ring derivatives, dibenzofuran derivatives, dibenzothiophene derivatives, and silole derivatives are exemplified. The electron transport layer 125 of the first organic layer 120 a and the electron transport layer 125 of the second organic layer 120 b are formed by the same step as each other, and thus have thicknesses which are substantially equal to each other. The thickness of the electron transport layer 125 is equal to or greater than 5 nm and equal to or smaller than 100 nm, for example.

Each of the electron injection layer 126 of the first organic layer 120 a and the electron injection layer 126 of the second organic layer 120 b is formed using alkaline earth metal compounds such as LiF, metal oxides represented by aluminum oxides, or metal complexes represented by lithium 8-hydroxyquinolate (Liq) and the like. The electron injection layer 126 of the first organic layer 120 a and the electron injection layer 126 of the second organic layer 120 b are formed by the same step as each other, and thus have thicknesses which are substantially equal to each other. The thickness of the electron injection layer 126 is equal to or greater than 0.1 nm and equal to or smaller than 10 nm, for example.

The first organic layer 120 a and the second organic layer 120 b may further include an electron inhibition layer. The electron inhibition layer is positioned between the hole transport layer and the light emitting layer and suppresses an occurrence of a situation in which electrons penetrating the light emitting layer reach the hole transport layer or the hole injection layer. The electron inhibition layer can be formed using at least one of materials through which holes move (organic materials having hole mobility), for example. The thickness of the electron inhibition layer is equal to or greater than 5 nm and equal to or smaller than 50 nm, for example.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 1, the layers of the first organic layer 120 a are positioned on the inner side of the first opening 152 a, and the layers of the second organic layer 120 b are positioned on the inner side of the second opening 152 b. The hole injection layer 121, the first hole transport layer 122 a, and the second hole transport layer 122 b may be formed over the insulating layer 150. In this case, the hole injection layer 121 of the first organic layer 120 a may be joined to the hole injection layer 121 of the second organic layer 120 b, and the first hole transport layer 122 a may be joined to the second hole transport layer 122 b.

Each drawing of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 is a sectional view illustrating a method of manufacturing the light emitting device 10. The method of manufacturing the light emitting device 10 includes steps as follows. First, the first region 100 a of the substrate 100 is coated with a light emitting material (specifically, material for forming the first light emitting layer 123 a) (first step). Before or after the first step, the second region 100 b of the substrate 100 is coated with a coating material (specifically, second hole transporting material for forming the third hole transport layer 122 c) (second step). After the first step and the second step, the light emitting material of the first region 100 a and the coating material of the second region 100 b are dried (third step). Then, the light emitting material is deposited in the second region 100 b (fourth step). Details thereof will be described below.

First, as illustrated in FIG. 2(a), the first electrode 110 is formed in the first region 100 a and the second region 100 b of the substrate 100, for example, by using a vapor deposition method or a sputtering method. Then, the insulating layer 150, the first opening 152 a, and the second opening 152 b are formed on the substrate 100. Then, the first region 100 a and the second region 100 b of the substrate 100 are coated with a hole injection material, for example, by using an ink jet method, and then are dried. Thus, the hole injection layer 121 of the first light emitting unit 140 a and the hole injection layer 121 of the second light emitting unit 140 b are formed (seventh step).

Then, the first region 100 a and the second region 100 b of the substrate 100 are coated with a first hole transporting material, for example, by using an ink jet method, and then are dried. Thus, the first hole transport layer 122 a of the first light emitting unit 140 a and the second hole transport layer 122 b of the second light emitting unit 140 b are formed (fifth step).

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 2(b), the second region 100 b of the substrate 100 is coated with a second hole transporting material, for example, by using an ink jet method (second step). The first region 100 a of the substrate 100 is coated with the light emitting material for the first light emitting layer 123 a, for example, by using an ink jet method (first step). The second step may be formed after the first step is performed.

Then, the coating material used for coating in the first step and the coating material used for coating in the second step are dried (third step). Thus, the first light emitting layer 123 a of the first light emitting unit 140 a and the third hole transport layer 122 c of the second light emitting unit 140 b are formed.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 3(a), the second hole transporting material is deposited in the second region 100 b of the substrate 100 (sixth step). Thus, the fourth hole transport layer 122 d is formed. The light emitting material is deposited in the second region 100 b of the substrate 100 (fourth step). Thus, the second light emitting layer 123 b is formed.

Then, as illustrated in FIG. 3(b), the hole blocking layer 124 of the first organic layer 120 a and the hole blocking layer 124 of the second organic layer 120 b are formed by using a vacuum vapor deposition method. Then, the electron transport layer 125 of the first organic layer 120 a and the electron transport layer 125 of the second organic layer 120 b are formed by using a vacuum vapor deposition method. The electron injection material is deposited on the electron transport layer 125 in vacuum (eighth step). Thus, the electron injection layer 126 of the first organic layer 120 a and the electron injection layer 126 of the second organic layer 120 b are formed. In this manner, the first organic layer 120 a and the second organic layer 120 b are formed.

The second electrode 130 is formed on each of the first organic layer 120 a and the second organic layer 120 b. The second electrode 130 is formed by, for example, using a vapor deposition method or a sputtering method.

In the embodiment, the first light emitting layer 123 a of the first light emitting unit 140 a is formed by using a coating method and the second light emitting layer 123 b of the second light emitting unit 140 b is formed by using a vapor deposition method. In such a configuration, a difference is provided between the number of times of performing coating steps for the first light emitting unit 140 a and the number of times of performing coating steps for the second light emitting unit 140 b. For the organic layer formed by coating, a step of drying a solvent is required. However, here, the drying step cannot be performed only for the region of the first light emitting unit 140 a or the region of the second light emitting unit 140 b. The drying step is most frequently performed at once for the entire substrate 100. Here, if there is a difference in the wet state between the organic layers, poor film formation is likely to occur in the drying step. That is, since the first light emitting unit 140 a is formed by vapor deposition, the first light emitting unit 140 a containing a solvent is in a so-called wet state. On the contrary, since the second light emitting unit 140 b is formed by vapor deposition, the second light emitting unit 140 b is in a dry state. Therefore, if the drying step is performed on the light emitting device 10, a so-called drawing occurs in which the organic layer of the first light emitting unit 140 a in the process of being dried is drawn onto the dried (not-wet) insulating layer 150 of the second light emitting unit 140 b. If this phenomenon occurs, the film thickness of the organic layer 120 of the first light emitting layer 140 a becomes nonuniform in the first light emitting layer 140 a, and thus the quality of the light emitting device 10 is deteriorated.

On the contrary, in the embodiment, the third hole transport layer 122 c is formed on the second hole transport layer 122 b of the second light emitting unit 140 b. The third hole transport layer 122 c is formed by a coating method and then is dried in the same step as that for the first light emitting layer 123 a. Thus, at the stage of performing the drying step, the organic layers have been formed in both the first light emitting unit 140 a and the second light emitting unit 140 b by a coating method. Therefore, the dry state of the first light emitting unit 140 a and the dry state of the second light emitting unit 140 b can be made uniform. As a result, it is possible to suppress an occurrence of drawing as described above, and the quality of the first light emitting unit 140 a can be improved.

In the second light emitting unit 140 b, the hole injection layer 121 and the second hole transport layer 122 b are formed by using a coating method, and the third hole transport layer 122 c and the fourth hole transport layer 122 d are formed by using a vapor deposition method. In this case, a portion of the hole transport layer of the second light emitting unit 140 b is formed by a coating method, and the remaining portion of the hole transport layer is formed by a vapor deposition method. Therefore, mobility of holes may decrease at an interface between the layer formed by the coating method and the layer formed by the vapor deposition method in the hole transport layer of the second light emitting unit 140 b. On the contrary, in the embodiment, the third hole transport layer 122 c is provided between the second hole transport layer 122 b and the fourth hole transport layer 122 d. The third hole transport layer 122 c is configured of the same material as that of the fourth hole transport layer 122 d and is formed by a coating method. Thus, it is possible to suppress the above-described decrease in the mobility of holes. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress degradation in light emission efficiency of the second light emitting unit 140 b.

Example 1

FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating the light emitting device 10 according to Example 1. FIG. 5 is a view in which the second electrode 130 is removed from FIG. 4. FIG. 6 is a view in which the organic layer 120 and the insulating layer 150 are removed from FIG. 5. FIG. 7 is a sectional view taken along line A-A in FIG. 4. The light emitting device 10 according to Example 1 is a lighting device. A light emitting region is formed on the substantially entire surface of the substrate 100. The first light emitting unit 140 a, the second light emitting unit 140 b, and a third light emitting unit 140 c are repeatedly formed in the light emitting region. Each of the first light emitting unit 140 a, the second light emitting unit 140 b, and the third light emitting unit 140 c extends to have a striped pattern (in the form of a line).

The configurations of the first light emitting unit 140 a and the second light emitting unit 140 b are as described in the embodiment. The third light emitting unit 140 c has the same configuration as that of the first light emitting unit 140 a except that the third light emitting unit includes a third light emitting layer 123 c instead of the first light emitting layer 123 a. The material of the third light emitting layer 123 c is different from the material of the first light emitting layer 123 a. In other words, the third organic layer 120 c of the third light emitting unit 140 c has the same configuration as that of the first organic layer 120 a of the first light emitting unit 140 a except for the light emitting layer. The light emission color of one of the first light emitting unit 140 a and the third light emitting unit 140 c is red, and the light emission color of the other unit is green. The light emission color of the second light emitting unit 140 b is blue.

Each of the first light emitting unit 140 a, the second light emitting unit 140 b, and the third light emitting unit 140 c includes the first electrode 110, a first terminal 112, the second electrode 130, and a second terminal 132. In the embodiment, the light emitting device 10 is a dimmable lighting device. Therefore, the first electrode 110, the first terminal 112, the second electrode 130, and the second terminal 132 are separately provided for each light emitting unit. However, the second terminal 132 may be a common terminal for all the light emitting units. In this case, the second electrode 130 may also be a common electrode (so-called solid electrode) for all the light emitting units. In a case where the light emitting device 10 does not have a dimming function (for example, in a case where the light emitting device 10 is a white-light lighting device), the first terminal 112 may be a common terminal for all the light emitting units. In this case, the first electrode 110 may also be a common electrode (so-called solid electrode) for all the light emitting units.

The first terminal 112 and the second terminal 132 have a layer formed using the same material as that of the first electrode 110. This layer is formed in the same step as that for the first electrode 110. The layer formed by the same material as that of the first electrode 110, in the first terminal 112, is integrated with the first electrode 110. On the other hand, the second terminal 132 is separated from the first electrode 110.

The first terminal 112 and the second terminal 132 are positioned on sides which are opposite to each other with the first electrode 110 interposed therebetween. In the example illustrated in the drawings, the substrate 100 is rectangular. The first terminal 112 is formed along one side of the substrate 100. The second terminal 132 is formed along a side on an opposite side of the first terminal 112 among the four sides of the substrate 100.

The insulating layer 150 has the first opening 152 a, the second opening 152 b, and a third opening 152 c. The first opening 152 a is positioned in a region in which the first light emitting unit 140 a is to be formed. The second opening 152 b is positioned in a region in which the second light emitting unit 140 b is to be formed. The third opening 152 c is positioned in a region in which the third light emitting unit 140 c is to be formed. A portion of the second electrode 130 extends over the second terminal 132 across the insulating layer 150.

In the present example, the method of manufacturing the first light emitting unit 140 a and the second light emitting unit 140 b is as described in the embodiment. The third light emitting unit 140 c is formed in the same step as that for the first light emitting unit 140 a except that the third light emitting layer 123 c is formed using a different coating material from that of the first light emitting layer 123 a. Therefore, the coating material for the third light emitting layer 123 c is dried in the same step as that for the coating material for the first light emitting layer 123 a and the coating material for the third hole transport layer 122 c.

In the present example, the third hole transport layer 122 c is also formed on the second hole transport layer 122 b of the second light emitting unit 140 b. The third hole transport layer 122 c is formed by a coating method and is dried in the same step as that for the first light emitting layer 123 a and the third light emitting layer 123 c. Therefore, it is possible to make each of the dry state of the layer of the first organic layer 120 a, which is formed by the coating method, the dry state of the layer of the second organic layer 120 b, which is formed by the coating method, and the dry state of the layer of the third organic layer 120 c, which is formed by the coating method, be the optimum state. As a result, the quality of the first light emitting unit 140 a, the quality of the second light emitting unit 140 b, and the quality of the third light emitting unit 140 c are improved.

Similar to the embodiment, it is possible to suppress the decrease of mobility of holes in the hole transport layer of the second light emitting unit 140 b. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress degradation in light emission efficiency of the second light emitting unit 140 b.

Example 2

FIG. 8 is a plan view illustrating the light emitting device 10 according to Example 2. FIG. 9 is a view in which the partition wall 170, the second electrode 130, the organic layer 120, and the insulating layer 150 are removed from FIG. 8. FIG. 10 is a sectional view taken along line B-B in FIG. 8. FIG. 11(a) is an enlarged view illustrating a region surrounded by a dotted line α in FIG. 10. FIG. 11(b) is an enlarged view illustrating a region surrounded by a dotted line β in FIG. 10. FIG. 12 is a sectional view taken along line C-C in FIG. 8. FIG. 13 is a sectional view taken along line D-D in FIG. 8.

The light emitting device 10 according to Example 2 is a display. The light emitting device 10 includes the substrate 100, the first electrode 110, a plurality of first light emitting units 140 a, a plurality of second light emitting units 140 b, a plurality of third light emitting units 140 c, the light emitting unit 140, the insulating layer 150, a plurality of first openings 152 a, a plurality of second openings 152 b, a plurality of third openings 152 c, a plurality of openings 154, a plurality of lead wires 114, the organic layer 120, the second electrode 130, a plurality of lead wires 134, and a plurality of partition walls 170.

The first electrode 110 linearly extends in a first direction (Y-direction in FIG. 8). The end portion of the first electrode 110 is connected to the lead wire 114.

The lead wire 114 is a wire that connects the first electrode 110 to the first terminal 112. In the example illustrated in FIGS. 8 to 12, one end of the lead wire 114 is connected to the first electrode 110 and the other end of the lead wire 114 serves as the first terminal 112. In the example illustrated in FIGS. 8 to 12, the first electrode 110 and the lead wire 114 are integrated. A conductive layer 180 is formed on the first terminal 112 and on the lead wire 114. The conductive layer 180 is formed using metal having resistance lower than the first electrode 110, for example, Al or Ag. One end of the lead wire 114 is covered by the insulating layer 150.

As illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 10 to 13, the insulating layer 150 is formed on the plurality of first electrodes 110 and in regions between the plurality of first electrodes. The plurality of first openings 152 a, the plurality of second openings 152 b, the plurality of third openings 152 c, and the plurality of openings 154 are formed in the insulating layer 150. The plurality of second electrodes 130 extend in parallel to each other in a direction intersecting the first electrode 110 (for example, direction orthogonal to the first electrode: X-direction in FIG. 8). The partition walls 170 which will be described later in detail extend between the plurality of second electrodes 130. Each of the first openings 152 a, the second openings 152 b, and the third openings 152 c is positioned at intersection points between the first electrodes 110 and the second electrodes 130. The first openings 152 a, the second openings 152 b, and the third openings 152 c are arranged to form matrices.

The openings 154 are positioned in regions overlapping respective one ends of the plurality of second electrodes 130 in plan view. The openings 154 are arranged along one side of a matrix formed by the openings 152. In a case of being viewed in a direction along the one side (for example, Y-direction in FIG. 8, that is, direction along the first electrode 110), the openings 154 are arranged at a predetermined interval. A portion of the lead wire 134 is exposed from the opening 154. The lead wire 134 is connected to the second electrode 130 via the opening 154.

The lead wire 134 is a wire that connects the second electrode 130 to the second terminal 132 and includes a layer formed of the same material as that of the first electrode 110. One end of the lead wire 134 is positioned below the opening 154, and the other end of the lead wire 134 is drawn to the outside of the insulating layer 150. In the example illustrated in FIGS. 8 to 12, the other end of the lead wire 134 serves the second terminal 132. The conductive layer 180 is formed on the second terminal 132 and on the lead wire 134. A portion of the lead wire 134 is covered by the insulating layer 150.

The first organic layer 120 a is formed on the inner side of the first opening 152 a, the second organic layer 120 b is formed on the inner side of the second opening 152 b, and the third organic layer 120 c is formed on the inner side of the third opening 152 c. Each configuration of the first organic layer 120 a, the configuration of the second organic layer 120 b, and the configuration of the third organic layer 120 c is as described in Example 1. At least some layer of each organic layer may protrude to the outside of each of the openings. As illustrated in FIG. 13, no organic layer is formed in the openings 154.

As illustrated in FIGS. 8 and 10 to 13, the second electrode 130 extends in a second direction intersecting the first direction (X-direction in FIG. 8). The partition wall 170 is formed between the second electrodes 130 which are adjacent to each other. The partition wall 170 extends in parallel to the second electrode 130, that is, extends in the second direction. The base of the partition wall 170 is, for example, the insulating layer 150. The partition wall 170 is made of, for example, a photosensitive resin such as a polyimide resin and is formed to have a desired pattern by being exposed and developed. The partition wall 170 may be formed of a resin other than the polyimide resin, for example, may be formed of an epoxy resin, an acrylic resin, or an inorganic material such as silicon dioxide.

The partition wall 170 has a shape having a trapezoidal section (inverted trapezoid) which is reversed upside down. That is, the width of the upper surface of the partition wall 170 is wider than the width of the lower surface of the partition wall 170. Therefore, when the partition wall 170 is formed ahead of the second electrode 130, the plurality of second electrodes 130 can be formed at once by forming the second electrodes 130 on one surface side of the substrate 100 by vapor deposition or by sputtering.

The partition wall 170 also has a function of dividing the organic layer 120. For example, the layers formed by the coating method among the layers constituting the organic layer 120 (for example, hole injection layer 121, first hole transport layer 122 a, second hole transport layer 122 b, third hole transport layer 122 c, first light emitting layer 123 a, and third light emitting layer 123 c) are formed by coating the regions between the partition walls 170 with the coating material. On the other hand, the layers formed by the vapor deposition method in the organic layer 120 (for example, fourth hole transport layer 122 d, second light emitting layer 123 b, hole blocking layer 124, electron transport layer 125, and electron injection layer 126) are not formed on the side surfaces of the partition walls 170, and thus are divided by the partition walls 170.

As illustrated in FIG. 11(a), only the layers formed by the vapor deposition method in the first organic layer 120 a, specifically, only the hole blocking layer 124, the electron transport layer 125, and the electron injection layer 126 are formed on the upper surface of the region of the partition wall 170, which is adjacent to the first light emitting unit 140 a. The hole injection layer 121, the first hole transport layer 122 a, and the first light emitting layer 123 a are not formed on the above upper surface. Therefore, the organic layer positioned on the partition wall 170 in the vicinity of the first light emitting unit 140 a is thinner than the first organic layer 120 a positioned in the first opening 152 a.

Similarly, as illustrated in FIG. 11(b), only the layers formed by the vapor deposition method in the third organic layer 120 c, specifically, only the hole blocking layer 124, the electron transport layer 125, and the electron injection layer 126 are formed on the upper surface of the region of the partition wall 170, which is adjacent to the third light emitting unit 140 c. The hole injection layer 121, the first hole transport layer 122 a, and the third light emitting layer 123 c are not formed on the above upper surface. Therefore, the organic layer positioned on the partition wall 170 in the vicinity of the third light emitting unit 140 c is thinner than the third organic layer 120 c positioned in the third opening 152 c.

As illustrated in FIGS. 11(a) and 11(b), only the layers formed by vapor deposition in the second organic layer 120 b, specifically, only the fourth hole transport layer 122 d, the second light emitting layer 123 b, the hole blocking layer 124, the electron transport layer 125, and the electron injection layer 126 are formed on the upper surface of the region of the partition wall 170, which is adjacent to the second light emitting unit 140 b. The hole injection layer 121, the second hole transport layer 122 b, and the third hole transport layer 122 c are not formed on the above upper surface. In other words, the hole injection layer 121 and a portion of the hole transport layer of the second light emitting unit 140 b are formed on the upper surface of the partition wall 170 positioned to be adjacent to the second light emitting unit 140 b in the thickness direction, and the remaining portion of the hole transport layer and the second light emitting layer 123 b of the second light emitting unit 140 b are formed on the upper surface of the partition wall 170. The organic layer positioned on the partition wall 170 in the vicinity of the second light emitting unit 140 b is thinner than the second organic layer 120 b in the second light emitting unit 140 b.

As illustrated in FIGS. 10 and 11, the organic layer positioned on the region of the partition wall 170, which is adjacent to the second light emitting unit 140 b is thicker than any of the organic layer positioned on the region of the partition wall 170, which is adjacent to the first light emitting unit 140 a and the organic layer positioned on the region of the partition wall 170, which is adjacent to the third light emitting unit 140 c. The reason is that the second organic layer 120 b includes the fourth hole transport layer 122 d, and the second light emitting layer 123 b is formed by vapor deposition.

Next, the method of manufacturing the light emitting device 10 in Example 2 will be described. First, the first electrode 110 and the lead wires 114 and 134 are formed on the substrate 100. The method of forming the above components is similar to the method of forming the first electrode 110 in the embodiment.

Then, the conductive layer 180 is formed on the lead wire 114, the first terminal 112, the lead wire 134, and the second terminal 132. The insulating layer 150, the first opening 152 a, the second opening 152 b, and the third opening 152 c are formed, and the partition wall 170 is formed. Then, the layers of the first organic layer 120 a, the layers of the second organic layer 120 b, and the layers of the third organic layer 120 c are formed. The methods of forming the layers are as described in Example 1. Then, the second electrode 130 is formed.

Similar to Example 1, in Example 2, each of the quality of the first light emitting unit 140 a, the quality of the second light emitting unit 140 b, and the quality of the third light emitting unit 140 c are improved. Similar to the embodiment, it is possible to suppress the decrease in the mobility of holes in the hole transport layer of the second light emitting unit 140 b. Accordingly, it is possible to suppress degradation in light emission efficiency of the second light emitting unit 140 b.

Hitherto, the embodiment and the examples are described with reference to the drawings. However, these are just an example of the present invention, and various configurations other than the above descriptions can be employed. 

1. A light emitting device comprising: a substrate; an insulating layer positioned on the substrate and comprising a first opening and a second opening; a first light emitting unit positioned in the first opening; and a second light emitting unit positioned in the second opening, wherein the first light emitting unit comprises a first organic layer, wherein the second light emitting unit comprises a second organic layer, and wherein a thickness of the second organic layer is thicker than a thickness of the first organic layer.
 2. The light emitting device according to claim 1, wherein the first organic layer comprises a first hole transport layer, wherein the second organic layer comprises a second hole transport layer, and wherein a thickness of the second hole transport layer is thicker than a thickness of the first hole transport layer.
 3. The light emitting device according to claim 2, wherein the second hole transport layer comprises a plurality of layers.
 4. The light emitting device according to claim 3, wherein the plurality of layers of the second hole transport layer comprises: a first layer comprises a first hole transporting material; a second layer positioned on the first layer and comprising a second hole transporting material; and a third layer positioned on the second layer and comprising the second hole transporting material. 